iWorld
Ready to Anime? Rashmika & Shubman Level Up Crunchyroll
Broadband grows 0.37 per cent to 1007.35 million subscribers.
MUMBAI: Anime isn’t just sneaking into India’s living rooms any more, it’s bursting through the door with a celebrity double act that’s hard to ignore. Crunchyroll has launched its cheeky new India campaign, “Ready to Anime?”, starring actor Rashmika Mandanna and cricket star Shubman Gill in a two-part ad film that perfectly captures how Japanese animation has gone from niche obsession to everyday entertainment staple.
The first spot drops during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with extra airtime woven into Shark Tank India Season 5 on Sony Liv. The second film is lined up for the IPL season, ensuring anime stays front and centre across live sport, streaming binges and casual viewing moments.
The storyline is delightfully simple yet spot-on. On a shoot set, anime enthusiast Rashmika enthusiastically pitches Solo Leveling to Shubman. He nods politely… then keeps glancing at his phone. Everyone assumes he’s distracted until the reveal: he’s completely hooked, streaming on Crunchyroll. Message received: once anime grabs you, good luck stepping away.
Rashmika brings genuine super-fan energy, while Shubman plays the perfect relatable newcomer, bridging longtime otakus and curious first-timers. Together they mirror how anime is crossing over from dedicated fandom into broader cultural chat.
A 2025 National Research Group study (commissioned by Crunchyroll) backs up the buzz, 62 per cent of general entertainment consumers in India say they “love” or “like” Japanese anime. Among teenagers the figure rockets to 74 per cent, making them the most passionate age bracket by far.
Crunchyroll vice president of regional marketing Raúl González Bernal called the pairing a natural fit. “Anime is evolving into a normal part of daily entertainment in India,” he said, noting how the campaign uses two massive influencers from film and sport to show its widening appeal across interests and backgrounds.
Tilt Brand Solutions (under Quotient Ventures) crafted the campaign, with production handled by Studioq. It will roll out across TV, connected TV, digital platforms and social media nationwide.
On the service side, Crunchyroll offers more than 900 anime titles in India, including over 160 dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. New episodes land the same day they air in Japan, with subscriptions kicking off at just Rs 99 per month.
In a market where global pop culture keeps finding fresh footholds, this campaign proves anime isn’t waiting for permission to become mainstream, it’s already here, phone in hand, ready for the next binge.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
